| "Wildlife" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 10.07 | → |
| Production number: 10007 First aired: 18 November 2008 | ||
| 209th of 502 produced in SVU | ||
 | ||
| Written By Mick Betancourt Directed By Peter Leto | ||
Summary
Stabler goes undercover to break up an animal-smuggling ring, and he gets help from a group insider, hip-hop artist Gots Money. However, this assignment leads to complication in Stabler's marriage and nearly costs him his life.
Plot
Stabler works undercover investigating a violent animal smuggling ring believed to be connected to a young woman's murder.
The show starts with people hovering around Stabler who has been shot. It later shows doctors carrying him to a hospital bed. Then finally Detective Benson looking at her partner.
It shows "One Week Earlier" and has Benson and Stabler responding to a crime scene where a young woman was found mutilated. They are shocked to learn that the killer licked her. And that they bit into her neck! Stabler then pulls out a dead exotic bird out of the woman's purse.
As Victor hangs from the ledge, Benson approaches him. Victor states that she is not an escort as she confirms it by revealing she is a cop. Victor states he is as well, while revealing that he was undercover for a year and that he is the one who told Brianna about Stabler going undercover. Somewhat convinced, Benson asked him to prove it and he states that he’s wearing a wire in his belt. After Benson saves him, he proves it and reveals the wire. Victor apologizes for not being there for Stabler since he couldn't blow his cover while Benson tells him that it's over but Victor states not for him, as Oscar is just one of his targets and there's a prison gang that's in charge of the smuggling ring and he needs to infiltrate it. Needing a high-level conviction, he allows himself to be arrested by her.
Meanwhile Oscar is still in a shoot out with Elliot but makes the fatal mistake of getting on the conveyor belt and injures his leg.
Afterwards, Oscar is yelling at Elliot while he is being loaded into the ambulance as Elliot taunts him about his circumstances. Benson then approaches her partner and tells him that Victor is actually a cop who is undercover. Elliot approaches Victor asking if he has any family he needs to notify but Victor says his family has been gone for a long time because of his job being too much for them.
At the end, Elliot is at home in bed with his wife before he is woken up to the sound of baby Eli crying. The episode ends with Kathy watching her husband tend to their young son.
Cast
Main cast
- Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Richard Belzer as Sergeant John Munch
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Michaela McManus as A.D.A. Kim Greylek
- B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang (credit only)
- Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
Recurring cast
- Isabel Gillies as Kathy Stabler
- Deep Katdare as Dr. Parnell
- Eric Morace as ESU Lieutenant
Guest cast
- Andrew Divoff as Andre Bushido
- Reg E. Cathey as Victor Tybor
- Vanessa Aspillaga as Agent Brianna Kalke
- Carlos Leon as Oscar Assadorian
- Caitlin FitzGerald as Anna Bleers
- Big Boi (credited as Antwan Andre Patton) as Gots Money
- John Bianco as Michael Solano
- Amelia Champion as Regina
- Anthony Spina as Carmanuce Cascone
- David Shih as Paramedic
- Obie Sims as Male Driver
- Chris Northrop as Emo
- Joseph Tudisco as Animal Control Agent
- Les J.N. Mau as Kuan
- Brooke Baker as Lianna
- Capital Jay as Gots Boy #1
- Patrick Byas as Gots Boy #2
- Daryl Williams as Gots Boy #3
- Pablo Gonzalez as Gots Boy #4
- Sean Simms as Gots Boy #5
References
Quotes
- Warner after find a dead bird in the victim's purse: 'The perp whack the parakeet too?
- Gots Money, on Natalie Bleers: That girl done seen more nuts than a can of planters.
- Elliot Stabler: So what happened to the tiger?
- Andre Bushido: Tasty bugger, isn't he?
- Elliot Stabler: ...Ah. Never enjoyed tiger meat before.
- Olivia Benson: Mmm. Are you ready for me, Daddy? Ooh. Didn't realize this was a party. That'll be $100 to watch, $250 to join in...
- Victor Tybor: I'll say this, Mike - you've got good taste.
- Odafin Tutola: Told you he wouldn't take a day off. You owe me 50 bucks.
Background information and notes
- While filming the chase scene towards the end of the episode, Hargitay was seriously injured when she did a stunt that involved her jumping and landing on a cushion. Three months after the episode was filmed, Hargitay claimed she was feeling short of breath and had chest pains. An x-ray revealed that 50% of her right lung had collapsed as a result of the injury. Due to the injury, Hargitay was absent from the episode Baggage so she could recover.
- The gibbon rescued by the SVU appears to be a Lar Gibbon. The name given to it in the show is the white crested highland gibbon although there is no such species. The gibbon is also clearly too large to have been contained within a basketball.
- Stabler's wound to his chest is said to be a "through and through" which would indicate that there would be an exit wound on his back, but when we see him holding the baby in the last scene, there is clearly no wound or bandage on his back.
Donald Cragen and gibbon
Episode scene cards
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Supple Nightclub |
On The Noise |
Residence of |
| 4 | 5 |
|---|---|
|
Bifero Stock and Feed |
Kuan Tool |
| Previous episode: "Babes" |
"Wildlife" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 10 |
Next episode: "Persona" |
